Rick Miller

In 1976, Rick (he/him), first participated in Pride Week when he made a banner that was carried in the parade. He is a graduate of UNI (BA) and ISU (MA) with a fellowship to the UI through the Connie Belin Gifted and Talented Program. His Queer activities have been ongoing since 1985, when he was president of the Gay Coalition of Des Moines; and later the Des Moines Men’s Chorus, the Gay & Lesbian Resource Center, and the Des Moines Pride Center. Rick was inspired by early LGBTQIA+ local activists in the 1980’s like: Ken Valadez, Rich Eychaner, Bob Eikelberry, and many others. He has worked with ONE Iowa on their Senior Advisory committee, and was a co-chair for Gay and Lesbian Education Network (GLSEN) with Ealaine Imlau in the 1990’s. He has participated in numerous other historical, cultural, and informational activities throughout the years. 

​In 2020, Rick was awarded Person of the Year by Capital City Pride for his work curating “Evolution of the Revolution: 50 Years Since Stonewall” exhibit at the Polk County Heritage Gallery in 2019. He has worked with Plymouth Congregational UCC to be more inclusive with their programming, and twice presenting art exhibits called “Gay Speak”. Rick was on the church Willits Committee that created the first health conference for older LGBTQIA+ Iowans, which was titled “A Matter of Grace and Dignity” and held at the State Historical Society.

​Rick has been active in promoting LGBTQIA+ libraries since 1990 and is an avid reader of historical information about the civil rights of gay people. He recently moved from the role of Treasurer to Archivist for the Des Moines Pride Center, with a focus on completing a historical biography project about LGBTQIA+ icons in Iowa.